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Healthy Child Programme: final report

7.1. Spontaneous Respiration

NHS Digital recommended an additional heading of ‘spontaneous respiration’ to be added to the ‘birth details’ section. The expert reference group stated that it needed to be clear that this refers to respiration rather than circulation. For the PCHR, a more parent-friendly term would be ‘breathing’. It is important that this heading is in the same format as recorded in maternity systems. The significance of the data is that if spontaneous respiration is delayed it can cause long-term health problems for the child. The data would also be useful for research purposes. The expert reference group agreed that spontaneous respiration and APGAR scores are distinct from one another and should be separate headings in the record. The consensus of the expert reference group was for the ‘spontaneous respiration’ heading to be added to the ‘birth details’ section.

Page last updated: 27 March 2026